1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the teaching of Braille to blind persons. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus that allows the teaching of the Braille dot matrix structure and word and sentence formation through the use of blocks that resemble Lego.TM. brand building blocks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been a few devices invented in the past that help to teach Braille to the blind. However, these systems fail to provide a simple arrangement of parts that allows for the teaching of word recognition and sentence structure. Most of the devices that have been developed have focused on the teaching of individual letters by teaching the Braille dot matrix representations of alphanumeric characters.
Inventions such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,456,155 issued to Seaman is a successful teaching device. The Seaman invention is a board that can accept posts in the locations of the Braille dots. Through repeated contact with Braille dot arrangements, the blind learn how to recognize and read letters and eventually words. However, a difficulty arises when one tries to teach a young or retarded individual. With both types of individuals, an appropriate method for teaching the fundamentals of word and sentence structure has heretofore been elusive. For the most part, illiterate individuals have had to learn the hard way. They have had to learn first to spell, then to form sentences using texts where the Braille dot letters are small and difficult to read to the Braille novice.
Because of the difficulties encountered in learning full text reading, youngsters and retarded individuals have the tendency to become frustrated by attempts to teach Braille. They may throw fits of rage or frustration. In a teaching system where the letters are not fixed to either the paper or some other surface, a fit that jumbles the letters can destroy hours of tutorial work.
The present invention recognizes an advantage to a system of teaching where the letters could be fixed to a rigid surface. It also recognizes the usefulness of oversized letters in the teaching of sentence structure to those not yet proficient in the reading of small-type Braille. Therefore, the present invention recognizes an alternative use to a modification of the Lego.TM. brand building block for use in training individuals to read Braille.
Lego.TM. brand building blocks, in their most recognizable form resemble rectangular blocks with raised dots. The underside of the building block contains cylindrical members that allow the attachment of one block to another. U.S. Pat. No. 3,005,282 issued to G. K. Christiansen on Oct. 24, 1961 discloses the structure of Lego.TM. brand building blocks. A similar structure to these blocks is used in the present invention.
However, the present invention requires the modification of the Lego.TM. building block. Braille characters constitute raised dots in a two by three matrix. In order to represent various letters and characters and their respective derivations, the dots are arranged in specific patterns. Thus, by the removal of appropriate dots from the surface of a standard six-dot Lego.TM. building block, an entire Braille alphabet can be constructed. By arranging the blocks appropriately, words and sentences are formed. Clearly the removal of raised dots from the surface of the block takes away the self-attachable characteristic of the Lego.TM. building block. However, this feature is not part of the present invention.
The Braille letter blocks can be arranged loosely on a surface such that they form words and sentences. However, the same Lego.TM. concept can be used for a rigid board by creating a raised dot surface capable of accepting the Braille blocks. When placed upon the rigid board, the letter blocks will remain relatively fixed to the surface. Therefore, any jostling, whether intentional or not, will not disrupt the teaching session by destroying the teaching materials as arranged.